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Consumer, Business & General Interest
Current Events & Public Affairs
Entertainment & Sports
Health & Medicine
Fully produced report in:
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(73 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
SMALL-BUSINESS OWNERS, FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, GATHERED IN
WASHINGTON, THIS WEEK [THE WEEK OF MARCH 19TH], TO ENCOURAGE
CONGRESS TO PASS BIPARTISAN "E-FAIRNESS"-LEGISLATION THAT, THEY SAY,
WOULD "LEVEL THE PLAYING-FIELD" BETWEEN INTERNET- AND "MAIN
STREET"-RETAILERS--ENDING WHAT THEY CALL "SPECIAL TREATMENT" FOR
COMPANIES LIKE AMAZON-DOT-COM. JENNIFER JOHNSON
IS THE OWNER OF JOHNSON'S SPORTING GOODS, IN
MAINE...
(JOHNSON):
"I CAN CHOOSE
TO MATCH ANY COMPETITOR'S PRICE. BUT, I CAN'T TELL A CUSTOMER,
'DON'T WORRY, I WON'T CHARGE YOU SALES-TAX.' IF I DO THAT, I WOULD
PROBABLY GO TO JAIL. BUT, COMPANIES LIKE AMAZON GET AWAY WITH IT,
EVERY DAY. I'M NOT HERE FOR A HANDOUT--OR SOME SORT OF [A]
BAILOUT. ALL [THAT] I'M LOOKING FOR IS A LEVEL PLAYING-FIELD, ON
WHICH TO COMPETE--AND NOTHING MORE."
(BRIDGE):
LEGISLATION IS CURRENTLY PENDING IN CONGRESS THAT WOULD CLOSE THIS
SALES-TAX LOOPHOLE. BUT, SOME REMAIN SKEPTICAL THAT LAWMAKERS WILL
ACT IN AN ELECTION-YEAR. JOHNSON SAYS, HOWEVER, THAT CONGRESS
NEEDS TO ACT SOON...
(JOHNSON):
"WASHINGTON
NEEDS TO STOP PICKING WINNERS AND LOSERS WITH THE TAX-CODE. TOO
MANY SMALL BUSINESSES, AND JOBS, ARE AT STAKE FOR THIS PROBLEM TO FESTER
[FOR] YET ANOTHER YEAR. I'M STILL DOING MY JOB IN AN
ELECTION-YEAR--AND I WOULD HOPE THAT CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT COULD DO
THEIR JOBS, WHILE THEY CAMPAIGN."
(CLOSE):
TO LEARN MORE, VISIT
"STAND-WITH-MAIN-STREET"-DOT-COM.
